Stabilizing attachment for hand guns

ABSTRACT

A stabilizing attachment for a hand gun. The attachment has a generally U-shaped arm rod which is attached to and extends rearwardly from the butt end of the hand grip of the gun to receive the shooter&#39;&#39;s forearm. The laterally spaced side members of the arm rod have rear upturned extremities joined by an arcuate upwardly arching connecting portion mounting a shock pad which seats against the radius bone of the forearm. The attachment reduces recoil, positively orients the bore of the gun relative to the forearm to improve shooting accuracy, increases leverage against recoil, eliminates wrist movement, and prevents twisting of the gun out of the hand when fired.

United States Patent Smith, Roger A.

[ Mar. 14, 1972 [54] STABILIZING ATTACHMENT FOR HAND GUNS [72] lnventor:Smith, Roger A., 19320 Heber Street,

Glendora, Calif. 91740 [22] Filed: May 21,1970

[21] Appl.No.: 39,451

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,027,556 5/1912 Marshall..42/94 1,340,127 5/1920 Welch 3,162,966 12/1964 La Coss ..42/723,184,877 5/1965 Andrews ..42/72 Primary ExaminerBenjamin A. BorcheltAssistant ExaminerC. T. Jordan Att0rney-Boniard 1. Brown ABSTRACT Astabilizing attachment for a hand gun. The attachment has a generallyU-shaped arm rod which is attached to and extends rearwardly from thebutt end of the hand grip of the gun to receive the shooters forearm.The laterally spaced side members of the arm rod have rear upturnedextremities joined by an arcuate upwardly arching connecting portionmounting a shock pad which seats against the radius bone of the forearm.The attachment reduces recoil, positively orients the bore of the gunrelative to the forearm to improve shooting accuracy, increases leverageagainst recoil, eliminates wrist movement, and prevents twisting of thegun out of the hand when fired.

12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAR 14 m2 lNl/ENTOR STABILIZINGATTACHMENT FOR HAND GUNS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates generally to guns and more particularlyto a stabilizing attachment for a hand gun.

2. Prior Art Hand guns suffer from the drawback of relatively poorshooting accuracy except in the hands of a highly skilled marksman. Thisis due in large part to wrist motion which renders it difficult to holdthe gun steady when aiming and to resist the recoil force when firing.Moreover, the recoil force produced when a hand gun is fired is oftensufficient to twist the gun from the shooters hand.

A variety of stabilizing devices for hand guns have been devised tominimize or eliminate the problems discussed above. Generally speaking,such a stabilizing attachment comprises a brace which extends betweenthe hand grip of the gun and the shooter's forearm to positively orientthe bore of the gun relative to the forearm. Examples of suchstabilizing attachments are found in US. Pat. Nos. 1,027,556, 3,162,966,and 3,184,877.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improvedstabilizing attachment for hand guns. This improved attachment includesa generally U-shaped amt rod with laterally spaced side members havingupturned rear extremities joined by an arcuate upwardly archingconnecting portion. The front extremities of the arm rod members aresecured to the butt end of the gun hand grip. When attached to the handgrip, the arm rod extends rearwardly from the grip and then upwardlyaway from the plane of the butt end of the grip to define an opening forreceiving the shooters forearm. The rear connecting portion of the armrod extends up and over the forearm and mounts a shock pad that seatsdownwardly against the radius bone of the forearm to positively orientor align the gun bore relative to the forearm. Thus, the presentstabilizing attachment effectively provides a rigid brace which extendsbetween the shooters hand and forearm in bridging relation to his wristin such a way as to prevent wrist motion in all directions. Theattachment reduces recoil, improves shooting accuracy, increasesleverage against recoil, prevents twisting of the gun from the shooter'shand during firing, and provides instantaneous correct elevation and ontarget pointing.

A feature of the present stabilizing attachment resides in the fact thatthe arm rod is constructed of a material, such as aluminum, which issufficiently stiff to accomplish the above recited functions of theattachment and yet sufficiently yieldable to enable the arm rod to bebent to the optimum configuration for each individual shooter.

Another feature involves adjustable attachment of the arm rod to thehand grip of the gun to permit fore and aft longitudinal adjustment ofthe rod relative to the hand grip to the optimum position for eachshooter.

In the disclosed embodiment of the invention, the arm rod attachment tothe hand grip of the gun includes mounting plates to be interposedbetween the side grip plates of the hand grip and the hand grip frame.This attachment is installed on a hand gun by removing the grip plates,placing the mounting plates for the attachment against opposite sides ofthe hand grip frame, and then reattaching the grip plates to the gun insuch a way that the mounting plates are firmly secured between the gripframe and the grip plates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a handgun equipped with the present stabilizing attachment and illustrates, inbroken lines, the shooter's hand and forearm;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the stabilizing attachment;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged rear elevation of the stabilizingattachment; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning to these drawings, thereis illustrated a hand gun l0 equipped with a stabilizing attachment 12of the invention. The hand gun has a rear hand grip I4 with a centralframe 16. Attached by a bolt 18 to opposite sides of this hand gripframe are facing grip plates 20. The particular hand gun shown is arevolver. It will become evident from the ensuing description, however,that the present stabilizing attachment may be designed for use withvirtually any type of hand gun.

The stabilizing attachment includes a generally U-shaped arm rod 22 andmounting means 24 for securing the rod to the butt end of the hand grip14. The arm rod has a pair of laterally spaced side members 26 with rearupturned extremities 28 joined by an arcuate upwardly arching connectingportion 30. Applied to this connecting portion is a tube 32 of resilientmaterial, such as neoprene, which forms a shock pad. The arm rod sidemembers 26 have generally parallel front extremities 34 and centralportions 36 which turn outwardly at oblique angles relative to the frontextremities and then rearwardly, parallel to the front extremities, tojoin the rear upturned arm rod extremities 28.

The illustrated arm rod mounting means 24 comprises a pair of spacedparallel mounting plates 38 and mounting blocks 40 rigidly joined to theouter surfaces of the plates, adjacent the lower plate edges. Themounting plates have substantially the same outline and dimensions asthe hand grip frame I6 and grip plates 20. Extending through themounting blocks 40, parallel to the mounting plates and the uppermounting block surfaces, are bores 42 for slidably receiving the frontextremities 34 of the arm rod side members 26. These front extremitiesare releasably secured to the blocks by set screws 44 or other means,such as spring loaded detents.

The stabilizing attachment 12 is secured to the hand gun 10 by removingthe grip plates 20 of the gun. The attachment mounting plates 38 arethen placed against opposite sides of the hand grip frame 16, and thegrip plates are reassembled against the outer surfaces of the mountingplates. The grip plates and mounting plates are then secured to the handgrip frame by the bolt 18. In this regard, it will be observed that themounting plates are apertured to receive the bolt. Thus, the mountingplates, when secured to the hand gun, are interposed between anddisposed in congruent relation to the hand grip frame 16 and grip plates20 so that the attachment appears to comprise an integral part of thehand gun. The mounting blocks 40 are situated directly below the buttends of the grip plates.

From the foregoing description and from the drawings, it will beunderstood that when the stabilizing attachment 12 is installed on thehand gun 10, the arm rod 22 extends rearwardly from the butt end of thehand grip l4 and then upwardly away from the plane of the butt end. Thearm rod defines an opening 46 through which the shooter inserts hisforearm 48 to grasp the hand grip 14 of the gun, in the manner shown inFIG. I. The shock pad 32 on the rear connecting portion 30 of the armrod extends over and bears downwardly against the radius bone of theforearm to positively orient the gun bore relative to the forearm. Inthis regard, a feature of the invention resides in the adjustableattachment of the arm rod to the gun and in the fact that the rod isconstructed of a material, such as aluminum, which is relatively stiffthough bendable. This feature permits the rod to be adjusted relative tothe hand gun, by bending the rod and/or moving the rod longitudinallyrelative to the gun, to provide the rod with the optimum shape andposition for each individual user.

It will be observed that the present stabilizing attachment 12effectively provides a rigid brace which extends between the shootershand and forearm in bridging relation to his wrist. The attachment thusprevents wrist motion, both vertically and horizontally. The presentstabilizing attachment presents several advantages. Thus, the attachmentreduces recoil to a minimum, improves shooting accuracy, increasesleverage against recoil, prevents recoil from twisting the gun from theusers hand, and provides instantaneous correct elevation and on targetpointing. Obviously, a hand gun equipped with the present stabilizingattachment is capable of all phases of hand gun use including targetshooting, hunting, and plinkin.

What is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

l. A stabilizing attachment for a hand gun having a hand grip with abutt end comprising:

a generally U-shaped arm rod to extend rearwardly from the butt end ofsaid hand grip with one side of the rod uppermost, said rod includinglaterally spaced side members having rear upturned extremities and anarcuate upwardly arching connecting portion joining said extremities,

means for securing the front extremities of said side members to thebutt end of said hand grip, and

said arm rod defining an opening for receiving the shooter's forearm ina manner such that said rear connecting arm rod portion seats downwardlyagainst the radius bone of the shooter's forearm to positively orientthe gun bore relative to the forearm and prevent wrist motion.

.2. A stabilizing attachment according to claim 1 wherein:

said arm rod is constructed of a relatively stiff though bendablematerial to permit the arm rod to be bent to the optimum configurationfor each individual user.

.3. A stabilizing attachment according to claim 1 wherein:

said mounting means includes adjustable means to permit fore and aftlongitudinal adjustment of said arm rod relative to said hand grip.

4. A stabilizing attachment according to claim 1 wherein:

said mounting means comprises mounting block means to be secured to thebutt end of said hand grip, said block means having bores slidablyreceiving the front extremities of said arm rod side members, and meansreleasably securing said side members in fixed positions in said bores.

:5. A stabilizing attachment according to claim 4 wherein:

said arm rod is constructed of a relatively stiff though bendablematerial to permit the arm rod to be bent to the optimum shape for eachindividual user.

ii. A stabilizing attachment according to claim I wherein:

said fastening means comprise mounting plates for attachment to oppositesides of said hand grip, and means joining the front extremities of saidarm rod side members to the lower ends of said plates.

7. A stabilizing attachment according to claim 6 wherein:

said joining means comprise mounting blocks rigid on the lower ends ofsaid plates, said blocks having bores siidably receiving the frontextremities of said arm rod side members, and means releasably securingthe front extremities of said members in fixed positions within saidpores.

8. in combination with a hand gun having a hand grip with a butt end, astabilizing attachment comprising:

a generally U-shaped arm rod secured to and extending rearwardly fromthe butt end of said hand grip, said arm rod including laterally spacedside members having rear upturned extremities and an arcuate upwardlyarching connecting portion joining said extremities, and

said arm rod defining an opening for receiving the shooter's forearm ina manner such that said rear connecting arm rod portion extends over andseats downwardly against the radius bone of the forearm to positivelyorient the gun bore relative to the forearm and prevent wrist motion.

9. The combination according to claim 8 including:

a resilient shock pad mounted on said rear arm rod connecting portion.

10. A hand gun according to claim 8 wherein:

said arm rod is adjustable in the fore and aft direction relative tosaid hand grip, and

means for releasably securing said arm rod in fixed position relative tosaid hand grip.

11. A hand gun according to claim 10 wherein:

said arm rod is constructed of a relatively stiff though bendablematerial, whereby said arm rod may be bent to fit the arm of eachindividual user. 12. A hand gun according to claim 8 wherein:

said hand grip has a central frame and grip plates at opposite sides ofsaid frame, and

said attachment comprises mounting plates secured to the frontextremities of said arm rod side members and interposed between saidgrip plates and said hand grip frame.

1. A stabilizing attachment for a hand gun having a hand grip with abutt end comprising: a generally U-shaped arm rod to extend rearwardlyfrom the butt end of said hand grip with one side of the rod uppermost,said rod including laterally spaced side members having rear upturnedextremities and an arcuate upwardly arching connecting portion joiningsaid extremities, means for securing the front extremities of said sidemembers to the butt end of said hand grip, and said arm rod defining anopening for receiving the shooter''s forearm in a manner such that saidrear connecting arm rod portion seats downwardly against the radius boneof the shooter''s forearm to positively orient the gun bore relative tothe forearm and prevent wrist motion.
 2. A stabilizing attachmentaccording to claim 1 wherein: said arm rod is constructed of arelatively stiff though bendable material to permit the arm rod to bebent to the optimum configuration for each individual user.
 3. Astabilizing attachment according to claim 1 wherein: said mounting meansincludes adjustable means to permit fore and aft longitudinal adjustmentof said arm rod relative to said hand grip.
 4. A stabilizing attachmentaccording to claim 1 wherein: said mounting means comprises mountingblock means to be secured to the butt end of said hand grip, said blockmeans having bores slidably receiving the front extremities of said armrod side members, and means releasably securing said side members infixed positions in said bores.
 5. A stabilizing attachment according toclaim 4 wherein: said arm rod is constructed of a relatively stiffthough bendable material to permit the arm rod to be bent to the optimumshape for each individual user.
 6. A stabilizing attachment according toclaim 1 wherein: said fastening means comprise mounting plates forattachment to opposite sides of said hand grip, and means joining thefront extremities of said arm rod side members to the lower ends of saidplates.
 7. A stabilizing attachment according to claim 6 wherein: saidjoining means comprise mounting blocks rigid on the lower ends of saidplates, said blocks having bores slidably receiving the frontextremities of said arm rod side members, and means releasably securingthe front extremities of said members in fixed positions within saidbores.
 8. IN combination with a hand gun having a hand grip with a buttend, a stabilizing attachment comprising: a generally U-shaped arm rodsecured to and extending rearwardly from the butt end of said hand grip,said arm rod including laterally spaced side members having rearupturned extremities and an arcuate upwardly arching connecting portionjoining said extremities, and said arm rod defining an opening forreceiving the shooter''s forearm in a manner such that said rearconnecting arm rod portion extends over and seats downwardly against theradius bone of the forearm to positively orient the gun bore relative tothe forearm and prevent wrist motion.
 9. The combination according toclaim 8 including: a resilient shock pad mounted on said rear arm rodconnecting portion.
 10. A hand gun according to claim 8 wherein: saidarm rod is adjustable in the fore and aft direction relative to saidhand grip, and means for releasably securing said arm rod in fixedposition relative to said hand grip.
 11. A hand gun according to claim10 wherein: said arm rod is constructed of a relatively stiff thoughbendable material, whereby said arm rod may be bent to fit the arm ofeach individual user.
 12. A hand gun according to claim 8 wherein: saidhand grip has a central frame and grip plates at opposite sides of saidframe, and said attachment comprises mounting plates secured to thefront extremities of said arm rod side members and interposed betweensaid grip plates and said hand grip frame.